All posts tagged poutine

Poutine lovers in central Canada can relax. Though a weekend fire destroyed an eastern Ontario factory that was a major supplier of cheese curds—a key ingredient in the well-known French Canadian dish—plans are underway to resume production, at least on a limited basis.

Rejean Ouimet, the general manager for St. Albert Co-Operative, which lost its only factory on Sunday, said he will decide either Tuesday or Wednesday on plans to resume production. Mr. Ouimet said he has offers from cheese companies in the Montreal area and in northern Ontario to produce St. Albert’s cheddar and famous cheese curds, which are available at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s 209 supercenters in Canada and at grocers across Ontario, Canada’s largest province.

“It’s a big family in the cheese business, and we have lots of friends,” Mr. Ouimet told Canada Real Time, referring to the 118-year-old dairy co-operative in St. Albert, Ontario. He said its cheese makers were inspecting other plants to determine which might be best to execute the co-operative’s recipe.

For the uninitiated, cheese curds are made with unpressed cheddar and milk, are each about the size of a grape, have a soft doughy texture and a light milk smell. Together with French fries and gravy, they make up poutine, a snack especially popular in Quebec and available at roadside chip trucks and casual dining spots.

“By the end of next week, St. Albert is going to be back with its cheese curds and cheddar. And we will find a way to deliver our cheese to our customers,” Mr. Ouimet said. Read More »

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Canada Real Time provides insight and analysis into what’s making news in Canada, a country punching above its weight on the world stage thanks to its vast resources and strong banking sector. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, we take a look at developments in fields ranging from business to politics to culture. You can contact the editors at canadaeditors@dowjones.com